Summary: Five times Killua does the killing and one time he is killed. (Or: Killua goes through the phases of assassination and it's a lot more mentally damaging than what one would normally think.)
A/N: This is a headcanon. This was going to be a full story but I just didn't have the time to write it all out, so here's all I have.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter.
Counting Kills
First kill: jittery feelings. Killua is shaking as he watches the blood drip down onto the polished wooden floor from his clawed fingertips. The first kill is the icebreaker, the test run, the turning point—the only time big brother Illumi will accompany him.
It's the first of many more to come.
Second kill: adrenaline. He is no longer a stranger to the feeling of assassinations. Killua begins to look forward to going past the testing gates, outside of the Zoldyck estate to where ignorant businessmen are just waiting to die. He likes watching the high and mighty people stare at him with newfound understanding and fear when they realize that their life is now at the mercy of Killua, a mere boy.
He realizes, it's fun. (And they kind of deserve it.)
Third kill: power. This time, Killua doesn't just kill the man; he controls him. In he thrusts his hand right through his target's chest and out it comes with the man's beating heart in a tight grip. Terrified eyes look up at Killua, pleas spilling out of his mouth, jumbled words mixed in between the stuttering chatter of his teeth.
Killua squeezes the organ in his hand and laughs.
Fourth kill: hysteria. Insanity. Breakdowns.
It's the price that comes with the act of murder.
Fifth kill: routine. Another day, another kill. Their screams don't affect him as much anymore and it's no longer a big deal when he gets called out on a new job request. The money means nothing to him. His victims' cries for help fall on deaf ears. His vision is stained crimson but he doesn't care.
The fun has died out. Killua is getting bored.
Sixth kill: death. As an assassin, Killua has seen a lot of death; as an assassin, Killua has caused a lot of death. It's easy and comes naturally to him. He's always been close to death, that's a well-known fact. But he's never actually experienced it.
It's time to try something new.
Claws extended, all the sensations are coming back to him: jittery feelings. Adrenaline. Power. Hysteria. Routine. Killua relishes in these last few moments and, without hesitation, plunges his hand into his own body.
Hopefully the afterlife will be able to keep him entertained.
A/N: I've been writing a lot of short drabbles recently because I don't have the time to finish a complete story. –sigh-
Not too sure what I did here with this headcanon, but I kind of really like it.
~Madin456.
